Spike-extractor.



No. 757,162. PATENTED APR. 12. 1904. E. E. WELSH.

SPIKE EXTRAGTOR.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 11. 1903. nmrnwsn ran. 18. 1904.

K0 MODEL.

Fig.1. Fig. 2. 1 21 3.

JIJ

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES Patented April 12, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER E. WELSH, OF LAWRENCE, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR TO J. T. BLAIR AND ROBERT WRAY, TRUSTEE.

SPIKE-EXTRACTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,162, dated April 12, 1904. Application filed April 1'7, 1903. Renewed February 18, 1904- Serial No. 194,297. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER E. WELSH, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Lawrence, county of Douglas, and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spike-Extractors, of which the following is a specification.

In the drawings which make part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved extractor, showing the same partly in section along the line a a in Fig. 2, but with the jaws closed, the operating-lever being shown in full. Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the lower portion of the extractor, the front extension of the main lever being broken away to show the clutching mechanism and the jaws being shown open to their widest extent; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the extractor the reverse of Fig. 1, also enlarged and the top portion being like wise broken away, the jaws being closed.

My invention consists in certain new and useful improvements in tools used for extracting spikes, bolts, nails, or similar objects from wood or other material in which they are embedded.

My invention is especially distinguished by the firm grasp obtained upon the object to be extracted, whereby I am enabled to draw spikes or other objects without heads with great ease and with the same certainty of success as if they were provided with heads.

My invention may be adjusted to all sizes of objects by the same movements by which the grip is obtained thereon, and the same may be pulled with great ease and rapidity and disengaged from the extractor after being drawn quickly and without difliculty.

The following is a detailed description of my invention, reference being had to the drawings.

1 is the main lever of convenient length to allow the operator to maintain a comfortable posture while at work and produce sufficient leverage to draw the spike Without undue exertion. The lower extremity of said main lever 1 is cut away to form a seat for the spikeclutching mechanism, leaving a rear plate 2 of 4 and 5 area pair of clutching-jaws pivoted to plate 2 by means of bolt 6, which bolt is screwed into threaded hole 7 in said plate 2. The jaws 4E and 5 are recessed, so as to fit into one another and be held in position in the usual manner. The shanks of said jaws are extended upward in the recess formed in the lower extremity of lever 1 and are provided with longitudinal slots 8 and 9.

10 is the operating-lever, pivoted on bolt 11, whose head is countersunk at 12 in plate 3 and whose other extremity is screwed into threaded hole 13 in plate 2, the shanks of said jaws being recessed, as at 14 14, to avoid contact with said bolt 11. I

15 15 are pins rigidly attached to the face of lever 10 and engaging slots 8 and 9 in the shanks of jaws 4: and 5. Lever 10 is extended beyond lever 1 and at its outer extremity pivotally connected with rod 16, which rod is in turn pivoted to hand-lever 17 by means of pin 18, near the lower extremity of said lever. Said hand-lever 17 at its lower extremity is pivotally connected to projection 19 on main lever 1, which projection is suitably recessed to admit the extremity of said lever 17.

20 is a ratchet rigidly attached to projection 19 and engaged by spring-pawl 21 on lever 17, said spring-pa wl being provided with thumbrest 22 to permit the extremity thereof to be disengaged from ratchet 20 when desired.

The jaws 4 and 5 are cut away or recessed, leaving relatively thin clutching-lips 23 23, and the heels 24 21 of said jaws and the back plate at 25 are beveled 03 to form a surface which produces a backward-rolling motion when the lever 1 is tilted tothe rear.

In the drawings I have shown for the sake of clearness the plate 3 extending only down as far as the bolt 6; but it will be understood that, if desired, said plate may be extended down beyond said bolt.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Assuming that the jaws are closed, by releasing spring-pawl 20 and depressing lever 17 to dropout.

the rod 16 is also forced downward bodily, which motion in turn depresses the protruding end of lever 10. As said lever turns on pivot 11 the jaws 4 and 5 are forced apart by the action of pins 15 in slots 8 and 9, and said opening of the jaws may continue until said pins abut against the extremities of said slots. The extractor is now placed in position so that the clutching edges 23 23 of the jaws 4 and 5 are on opposite sides of the object to be pulled. The hand-lever 17 is now raised toward the position shown in Fig. 1, the pawl 21 tripping over the teeth of ratchet 20, thus reversing the action of the various levers described in the operation of opening the jaws,

. and therefore closing the jaws until they are forced against the spike and obtain a sufficiently firm hold thereon to extract the same. If the spike has a head, said head will occupy therecesses above the clutching edges 23 23.

. W'he'n'a sufliciently' firm hold has been obtain'ed on the article to be drawn, the main lever 1 is tilted toward the rear, the cut-away portions'2 i 241 and 25 of the extremity of the tool forming a rolling motion which maintains thefulcrum as the spike rises out of the material in which it is embedded. When the spike is drawn, the spring-pawl is released from the ratchet, causing lever 17 to fall, and thus spreading the jaws and allowing the spike It is. readily seen that any sized spike or like object may be extracted with the aid of my invention without any preliminary adjustment of parts, as the hand-lever 17 is capable of opening the jaws to their widest capacity and closing them sufficientlyto obtain a firm grasp of the smallest nail or bolt. This in itself is a great saving of time and trouble to the operator. Inasmuch asboth of my jaws are movable instead of one being movable and th e oth er rigidly attached to the main lever each aw moves through an arc one-half the length of that which the one jaw must pass through if the other jawis rigid in grasping tightly a given spike. It is therefore evident that by my arrangement of jaws the lever 17 moves but half the distance which would be required were one of the jaws rigid. Thus the operation of tightening the jaws into the position of grasping the spike from that of being open is thus reduced by one-half. By this means I am enabl'ed to place pin 18 very near the extremity of lever 17, thereby increasing the leverage of saidhand-lever and reducing the amount Both jaws being movable, I not only obtain a grip on the spike more quickly and with less effort, but as the pressure is uniform from both directions the grip is firmer and square with the plane of the lever 1, thus preventing a twisting motion when the spike is pulled. It is therefore evident that not only is my extractor capable of immediate adjustment to any size of spike, but its grip is firmer, its operation more speedy and sure, and the dropping of the pulled spike more expeditiously effected than in the forms of extractor in general use.

Although for the sake of clearness I have described my invention with great minuteness, I do not wish to limit myself thereby; but

I claim, broadly-- 1-. In spike-extractors, the combination of a main lever, clutching-jaws mounted at the extremity of said main lever, and an operatinglever having pin-and-slot connections with said clutching-jaws.

2. In spike-extractors, the combination of a main lever; clutching-jaws pivoted to the extremity of said main lever; an operating-lever having sliding connections with said clutching-jaws, and means for controlling said operating-lever from the upper portion of said main lever.

3. In spike-extractors, the combination of a main lever; clutching-jaws pivoted to the extremity of said main lever; an operating-lever having sliding connections with said clutching-jaws; a connecting-rod pivoted to said operating-lever, and a hand-lever pivoted to said main lever and'said connecting-rod.

4:. In spike-extractors, the combination of a main lever; clutching-jaws pivoted to the extremity of said main lever; an operating-lever having sliding connections with said clutching-jaws; a hand-lever pivoted to said main.

lever and controlling said operating-lever, and means for locking said clutching-jaws in po sition.

5. In spike-extractors, the combination of a main lever; clutching-jaws pivoted to the extremity of said main lever; recesses in said clutching-jaws; an operating-lever; projections on said operating-lever engaging said recesses, and mechanism for controlling said operating-lever.

Signed by me at Lawrence, Kansas, this 9th day of April, 1903.

ELMER E. WELSH.

Witnesses:

ALBERTUS WELSH, J. M. SPENOER. 

